The Opelousas courier. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1852-1910, 1887-05-14
The Fame of HAee.

N O. City Item.
Gen Lord Wolseley's article Oh Lee in Mac
Millan's Magazine has stirred up hornets
nest at the North. So long as the discussion
was confined to generals who were prominent
actors in the war. it was proposed to let them
have their say without any interference,
but now that the newspapers are taking the
matter mp, the Item ia disposed to put i'll a
word.
AS for comparison between Grant and Lee,
the opinion is largely held at the North and
is weil-nlgh universal in the South that. as a
man and as soldier. Lee was beyond and above
comparison with any character of modern
times His fame is SO exalted that his adj
mirers feel no jealousy of the claims of others.
aud are content to leave the issue III the
keeping of history even to the histories that
will be made at the North when time shall
have cleared away the mists of war. Whe-
ther in the meantime Gen. Sherman, always
of a stron & " apartisan temper, or Lord VOL
seley dist teTested military observer, is the
more capable Of correctly appraisiug the quail
ities of Lee, is a question surely not entitled
to serious consideration.
There are men ut the North who look upon
Lee as q very ordinary soldier, aud there are
some at the South who regard tho successes
of Grant as brought about only,by brute force.
The capture oil Forts Henry aud Donnelson
Grants ability, and in the campaign aro und
Chattanooga he displayed Il high order Of
| military talent. Though his Virginia cam
paign was not marked by genius it certainly
was by good Judgement. He went in to win,
by attritiou if in no other way, aud he accom-
plshed his purpose. He had @ vast prep0n-
derance in numbers, it is true, but even with
an Immense army at his back he could not
have faced Lee any length of time had he not
been great general.
There is no intention of reviewing at this
moment the campaigns OF Lee.
Gen. Sherman aud other Northern critics
| say they we're defensive with the exception
| of the two unsuccessful iuvasons of Maryland
and Pennsylvania defensive and local are
| the words. Mcclellan hardly thought Lee
| WAS on the defensive when his Grand Army
| was struck as il by tornado and the debris,
| hurled from in front of Richmond to James
| river strewed under the shelter of the gun
boats. Pope hardly thought Lee was on the
| defensive when the Confederate chieftain,
| like thunderbnls ont of clear sky, fell up
on him and destroyed him. Hooker probably
| did not think Lee was OH the defensive when
| the Con!ederates surprised him at Chancel-
| lors and swept his shattered army before
them uutil il sought safety beyo the Rap
| pahannock.
While the South il content to leave the
| fame of her heroes to the keeping OF history !,
| it is fortunate that the records of the facts on
| which history viii be written are not hidden
away ,jn sDme mysterious closet; tor then
| they might be lost or stolen. The facts, how
| ever, are known 10 all the world. They may
| be distorted and perverted for a time by pre-
iulice, bat in the end they will shine forth
clearly, brightly aud grandly, erOwning the
memory of Lee with halo of immortal glory
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